Large organizations, both governmental and non-governmental, often need to acquire goods or services, sometimes on a large scale over a number of years. In many situations, these goods or services cannot be purchased off-the-shelf. In order to meet their specialized needs, such organizations may need to issue requirements and ask vendors to offer proposals on how to address these requirements. Large-scale acquisitions may involve millions or even billions of dollars and can result in multi-year contracts.
Such deals may be quite complex; in fact, the acquisition process alone may take years before the agreement is even executed. In many cases, e.g., for reasons of fairness or safety, laws or regulations govern how the acquisition process occurs. For example, the Federal Aviation Administration follows certain safety and reliability guidelines when acquiring new computers to manage the Nation's air space. In another example, when a government entity looks to acquire the services of a contractor, that government agency may follow certain requirements of the Federal Acquisition Regulations (“FAR”).